SBY: Saving the Earth No Longer a Choice but a Necessity Amid Global Turmoil

Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia - Indonesia’s sixth President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), has stated that saving the Earth is no longer a choice but has become a necessity, as current conditions are increasingly concerning. He made the remarks whilst inaugurating the Green Indonesia Future Initiative (GIFT) at the Ministry of National Development Planning (PPN/Bappenas) on Thursday. ‘Saving the Earth is now no longer a choice, but has become a necessity. There needs to be synergy between all parties so that our Earth can be saved for the future,’ SBY said in his speech on Thursday. According to him, in the effort to save the planet, every leader certainly faces different problems, making cross-party cooperation essential to ensure issues, including protecting the Earth, can be addressed continuously. ‘Every administration, every leader, certainly faces challenges and problems. But if everyone works together, God willing, no matter how heavy the problems faced by the country we love, there is always a solution and a way out,’ he explained. SBY added that the world is currently plagued by uncertainty, leading many countries to neglect the current state of the Earth due to war. However, once global problems, including war, begin to end, countries will typically compete again to care for the environment. ‘Now the world seems to be at a standstill in multilateral cooperation and global collaboration for combating climate change, due to geopolitical affairs, the war in Ukraine, the Middle East, tensions in the South China Sea, and so on. But I do believe someday, when these geopolitical affairs and wars subside, the world will return to its big agenda. The world will return to saving our Earth, reducing poverty, and then collaborating for prosperity, justice, and the interests of nations worldwide. That beautiful day will come,’ SBY stated. Therefore, he stressed that now is the time for Indonesia to move towards change for a better future, avoiding worsening climate change. ‘Because we already have a plan, this is the time for us to implement a commitment to action. If it is not done now, the Earth could get hotter, we will not achieve Net Zero Emissions, and it will end in a big disaster in our lifetime,’ he concluded. Earlier today, the Ministry of National Development Planning/Bappenas launched GIFT, a green transformation initiative that prioritises the interests of both current and future generations. GIFT’s investment target reaches US$ 2 billion, focusing on programme scale and the integration of regional elements. Going forward, GIFT is expected to strengthen this approach with a larger scale and a focus on measurable implementation. The initiative is also anticipated to increase private sector involvement and expand collaboration with international development partners.